2026 DS Nº8 AWD real world range test
DS is one of the few odd choices one can make in the increasingly more boring automotive landscape, especially in Europe. It is a brand that wants to desperately differentiate itself from its Citroen roots by adding uniqueness to every detail, including the shape of the entire vehicle.
The DS Nº8 we’re testing is a mix between the clearance and practicality of an SUV with the general shape of a sedan, making it appear outlandish even at first glance, but we’ll focus more on its design in our upcoming detailed review.
Today, we have the DS Nº8 AWD Long Range at our disposal, equipped in the Jules Verne trim, which is the highest one available. If you’re pushing for maximal range figures, the FWD Long Range will take you slightly further but you’ll have to sacrifice all the benefits of the all-wheel drive system.
The Nº8 AWD version offers 375 hp, 375 lb-ft and an acceleration to 62 mph in under 5.5 seconds. All of this data will be irrelevant for the purposes of today’s article as we’ll focus solely on range on a single charge and assess efficiency. And the DS Nº8 certainly has potential to be among the greatest vehicles to enter our testing ground - it is equipped with a large 97.2 kWh usable battery pack and is shaped to optimize aerodynamics.
Based on the values we get in the testing, we are able to provide a real world range widget. You can use it to simulate a wide variety of conditions and adapt the values to your liking in order to check out how the car will perform in different scenarios.
We drove our usual test routes, doing the same track both ways at constant speeds at the same place as with every other car we test. The ambient temperature while testing the 2026 DS Nº8 AWD Long Range was 68°F. That is the ideal setting for such testing, so the results we have are likely the best the vehicle is capable of achieving.
At our lowest testing speed of 37 mph, the DS Nº8 AWD showcases its amazingly efficient powertrain. Despite the two motors and high power output, consumption is minimal at this low speed. Of course, in the real world this figure is overexaggerated as nobody would willingly drive over 620 miles with 37 mph but it’s good to know that the Nº8 is capable of achieving this result.
Range test results
- 37 mph
- 56 mph
- 81 mph
DS Nº8 AWD Long Range
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Polestar 2
When we speed up to 56 mph, consumption rises but the range figure remains impressive. Here is where the FWD version with the same battery will likely yield the biggest difference compared to this AWD model we test. It is a bit lower than the WLTP figure, but we’ve noticed that the result we get in this category often coincides with the real long-term combined usage as reported per long-term owners.
At the highest testing speed of 81 mph, the DS Nº8 AWD performs expectedly great. The optimized shape plays its role and limits the increase in consumption. The Nº8 allows for long highway journeys on a single charge and that used to be a problem for multiple EVs.
It seems the DS Nº8 is among the first midsize sedans to offer truly long range and therefore be a viable solution to the one-car problem many people have. Similarly sized vehicles are often used as a daily driver and family vacation haulers, as well, which requires them to be capable at everything at once.
The DS Nº8 AWD serves that purpose tremendously well and is among the first sedans that offers such versatility in a more compact shape. If you’re in the search of a uniquely designed vehicle with a long range and decent practicality but want to escape the German propositions, we highly recommend checking out the DS Nº8 and trying it out for yourself.
The Nº8 would’ve been one of the best choices one could make in that segment if it weren't for the price, which can sadly easily go on the wrong side of $94,000, which is simply too much for what the vehicle offers. However, deals or used vehicles can easily deflect this downside.
You can use the widget below to find out the DS Nº8 AWD’s range in every combination of speed and temperature you might need. We've used our real world tests and a complex model to provide an estimate that should be as close to the actual performance as possible.
Thanks to Rosen Raychev for the pictures.
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